After dominating the SEC for two years, Quinshon Judkins made his way to Ohio State. As half of a dynamic one-two punch, Judkins has shown that he has what it takes to carry an offense in the NFL and has a shot to be one of, if not the top running back drafted in April. As of the week leading up to the Rose Bowl, he has not made a decision on whether to declare for the NFL Draft or return to Ohio State in 2025.
Early 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Quinshon Judkins
Quinshon Judkins Measurables
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 219 lbs
Background and Accolades
Few players in the transfer portal were as productive as Ole Miss’s Quinshon Judkins. As a true freshman, he ran for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns and led the entire SEC in a year with Jahmyr Gibbs, Devon Achane, and Tank Bigsby ran wild. He was their workhorse with 267 rushes and eclipsed 100 yards in eight times. In two games, Judkins ran for over 200.
He kept it up in 2023, finishing with 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns off of 271 carries. He recorded six 100-yard performances, including a 103-yard, three-touchdown game against Texas A&M. In his two years with the Rebels, Judkins earned First-Team All-SEC honors twice and was the SEC Freshman of the year in 2022. Then, he jumped into the transfer portal and landed at Ohio State which already had an established running back.
In little time, Judkins came in and ended up earning the starting job over incumbent TreVeyon Henderson. The pair have split carries all year, thus keeping both healthy and ready. Through 13 games, Judkins has 157 rushes for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the Buckeyes in all three categories. He has two 100-yard games this year.
With at least one game remaining in his collegiate career, he has 3,564 yards and 41 rushing touchdowns and has a 5.1 yards per carry average.
Strengths
- Age (will still be 21 when the 2025 season kicks off);
- Powerful runner, not afraid of contact;
- Missed tackle machine;
- Great sudden acceleration and open-field burst;
- Better receiver than his stats suggest;
- Fantastic contact balance, cannot be brought down with arm tackles;
- Compact, NFL-ready frame;
- Not over-worked at Ohio State, plenty of tread left on the tires’
Weaknesses
- Can get caught up waiting too long for holes to develop;
- Pass-protection needs work;
- Good-not-elite speed, can be caught from behind;
- 4.2 YPC in Big Ten play and CFP (12.2 YPC in early-season non-conference Group of 5 foes);
Best Team Fits: Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers
Quinshon Judkins’ Role in the NFL
This year’s running back class is ridiculous and Judkins could be in the conversation as one of the first running backs taken. The question will be will he or his Ohio State running back hear his name called first?
Judkins has a lot of great things going for him. He already has that NFL-ready, compact frame. That’ll translate well to the next level with his ability to both make defenders miss in the open field and his low center of gravity making him difficult to bring down. He’s a guy who will not shy away from contact and was uber-reliable in the red zone. Seven of his ten touchdowns came from the six-yard-line or closer. In the College Football Playoff First Round game against the stout Tennessee defensive line (that features probable first-round talents like James Pearce, Jr.), Judkins punched it in twice from a yard out.
His pass-blocking, at least as of now, could be what allows him to slip a little. Given, his running mate has been superb at pass-blocking, so it could also be a case of fewer reps. However, as a receiver, Judkins is reliable. Ohio State has NFL-bound receivers, so it doesn’t often utilize the running backs in the passing game. Even when it does, those targets go to Henderson. Despite that, Judkins has shown that he can get chunk yardage and has better hands than you’d assume.
Judkins is a workhorse back and projects to be a starter for some lucky NFL team for years to come.
Main Image: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
